Press Review

“Aravot” carries an interview with political prisoner Smbat Ayvazian. “The March 1 rally proved that Levon Ter-Petrosian chose a calm but right path,” says Ayvazian, arguing that leadership change in the country is “not on the horizon.” “We are not in a hurry because we will condition our actions with international developments,” he says.

“Hayots Ashkhar” says that opposition leader Levon Ter-Petrosian and his entourage are “scared” of embarrassing revelations that could be made at the ongoing trial of seven opposition figures and are doing everything to disrupt it. The paper says that by dragging out court proceedings Ter-Petrosian wants to enable Western structures to keep up their pressure on the Armenian authorities and “escalate the situation as much as possible.” It says that the former president is also worried that prosecutors will expose “the full circle of crimes” committed by the Armenian opposition following the February 2008 presidential election.

“Chorrord Ishkhanutyun” says that political tolerance is “not always a good thing.” “In the specific case of Armenia, it’s more often a bad thing,” says the opposition daily. “Should the opposition put up with ugly vote falsifications?” it asks. “Should it not fight for the liberation of political prisoners for the sake of political stability?”

“Kapital” believes that only two forces can be interested in the resignation of Prime Minister Tigran Sarkisian: the political team of former President Robert Kocharian and Ter-Petrosian’s Armenian National Congress (HAK). The paper notes that the presumably pro-Kocharian Prosperous Armenia Party (BHK) made clear on Wednesday that its leader, Gagik Tsarukian, has no prime-ministerial ambitions and thereby reaffirmed its support for President Serzh Sarkisian. It says that Ter-Petrosian’s March 1 claims that the HAK could soon be offered to join a national unity government is a “trap” for the Armenian authorities. The authorities may have dodged this trap but they will likely be beset by infighting soon, concludes “Kapital.”

“Haykakan Zhamanak” reports that the Armenian government has trouble financing its planned expenditures. The paper says that taxes collected by the government only allow it to pay public sector salaries. “The situation is so serious that money allocated to budget-funded agencies is spent within one or two days,” it says.